Documentary Photography is the act of shooting a photo or series of photos to describe and inform the viewer about a location, cause or other subject. Usually the subject being documented is one that has been unknown to the majority of people. Documentary Photography is unique in that the photographer uses their photographs to tell a story and change the point of view of the viewer through the images. Often documentary photographers were photojournalists who were hired and paid to tell stories with their images. Sometimes written imagery accompanied their work. During the Depression the government hired photographers and artists as part of several government funded programs, which were all part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal plan to stimulate the economy and employ people while building and renewing the country. Some of these plans included the hiring of artists and photographers. The photographerswere hired to document what was happening in the country and also to document what was being done to change and fix things. You can find links to many of the Photographers here.
Use this page as a starting point for your research on documentary photography. You can search by creator's (photographer) or by subject matter. It is the Library of Congress American Memory Project.
Choose one of the listed photographers and post 3 images of their work.
Explain what they were known for and how their work informed people on the cause. How did their photography make a difference? Explain whether or not they were associated with the WPA or FSA. Exaplin when and where they did their photos. Explain how their work will influence your own. Make sure that you list the name of the photographer and also your name in parentheses so we know who posted what. Remember not to post over someone else's post!!
Erin Sutter
Photographer of Choice WALKER EVANS
Evan's was known for his objective and realistic documentaries. He also didn't work very hard to get the image he wanted.
He often photographed lower class areas of the cities he visited and the cities in poor condition. He wanted to get away from romantic idealism and show the world the way it really was. To do this he photographed everyday street scenes or simple material objects that other photographers would tend to ignore. He documented scenes that made people want to help and fix up the old shops and help the rundown people. He documented the depression. He mainly took his pictures in small towns around the United States. Two of the above pictures are from a small town in Massachusetts. He was involved with the WPA or the Works Progress Administration. Along with Dorthea Lange, Evan and Lange made a series of photographs called the Iconic Farm Photographs. He photographed rural poverty in Southern States. These photographs opened the eyes of the government and the citizens of the United States. His work informed people of how fortunate they were and how there were other people out there suffering who needed their help. I like how he shot things the way they were and not in some fantasy light like most photographers do. He did something unique and thats what I'd like to do, something unique and give people a unique view of reality that they normally ignore.
(Megan Patrick) This photo of a young school boy was taken by Russell Lee. He was known for taking great pictures. His work made people think about how other people in the world looked. For example, in this photo Russell Lee just wanted to show what life was like in the life of a school boy. Most people wouldn't think this is all that interesting, but truly it is.
(Jake Platt) Jack Delano was a photographer hired by the Farm Securities Administration (FSA) and his pictures portrayed the reality of America at the time, which was the Great depression and World War 2 Era. The first picture is of the waiting room at the Union Station in Chicago. The beams of light are enhanced by all of the smoke from the trains that is filling the room and the people are mostly silhouettes, which makes the picture more mysterious. The second photo is of a pennsylvania miner and it's purpose is to show the working conditions of miners. Miners at the time were poor, typically immigrants, had to live in company built little towns, and had a high risk of dying every day, and it shows in this mans face. Last is the picture of some sort of factory or mill with the background of small, dirty houses. This picture screams great depression to me as the ramshackle houses in the background suggest a hooverville type town.
These photos are done by Dorothea Lange, the first photograph is called Interrupted Lives. It is a picture of of people who are waiting for the bus (almost all of them are of Japanese descent). The second photograph is called "A compassionate Eye." Its is of young Japanese boy sitting at a bus corner waiting to be picked up. The third photograph is called Salute of Innocence, and it is of young Japanese children saying the american pledge of allegiance during WWII. Dorothea normally took documentary photographs of people who were affected by WWII. Her work showed how war could easily up root whole ethnic groups and how in WWII those who were of japanese american descent were sent to "processing centers". Dorothea had done earlier work before she began her documentary of WWII, this work consisted of documentaries of the great depression and families who were effected by it. Her documentaries during WWII were centered around people who were of japanese descent and who were being directly effected by the war, and who were forced to move to camps and "processing centers". (Aly Rakowski)
(Sydney) Arthur Rothstein was a photographer during the great depression. He was invited along with other photographers to take pictures of examples of poverty. This group was sponsored by the FSA or Farm Security Administration. Arthur Rothstein was known for taking pictures of the American Agriculture. There are many pictures taken from when he was stationed in northern Alabama. While he was in Alabama he took pictures of houses that were made out of mud for an article that was going to be published. The pictures helped to enhance the article, and allowed people to read and see what life was like in other areas of the country. Arthur's work has influenced me to take pictures from other peoples perspective, and be able to show that they have to deal with how they live.
(Adele) Lewis hine was born in oshkosh, Wi and moved to New york, and around the ellis island area. He was a part of the WPA and took pictures of child labor in new york, also took pictures for a sociological progect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and photographed steel districts. During the great depression he worked for the red cross in south america, then he documented life in the moutains of eastern Tennessee. The first picture is of A young mechanic working on a steam pump, 1920. The second picture is of a little girl named Addie Card and she was a child laborer in a cotton mill in Vt. The third picture is a bunch of children working in a glass mill, blowing glass, very unsafe, in Indiana
Walker Evans was a well=known photographer from the early part of the twentieth century. He is best known for his work on the Farm Security Association, which documented the effect the Great Depression had on rural farmers. He used his large format photography to capture images that were, "literate, authoritative, transcendent". With camera in hand and a cause in his mind, Walker Evans strode out into America's heartland, and made the struggles of the agrarian society evident to the unseeing eyes of urban city-dwellers. Their problems became problems burdening the nation and, with the help of Walker Evans, a solution was found. (James Howard)
Penniless and hungry, Americans in the "bread-basket" states were hit hard by the catastrophic crash of the economy. The price of seed was too much to shoulder, so nothing was sewn into the ground--sadness and despair was sewn into their hearts and souls instead. The lack of food, money and work caused these feelings, and theses feelings are stretched across the face of this young agrarian. Farmers all across the nation became the poster-children for the Farm Security Association, and the cause supported by Walker Evans. (Floyd Burroughs. Hale County, Alabama 1936)(James Howard)
With the death of the economy came the death of the factory. As the factory machinery gathered dust and cobwebs--products of misuse-- the factory workers soon died off. Without the income provided by the factory jobs, the workers slowly starved, shriveled into oblivion. The stony white cross that looms over the dying town mirrors this solemn tale. It's superiority over the landscape shows that death is everywhere, and it's inescapable. The effects of the Great Depression are fully visible in this image, and Walker Evans captured the essence of an era. ("from the cradle to the factory to the grave")(James Howard)
The crashing economy plummeted down from the heights where it dwelled and fell upon the backs of America. As it spiraled downward, cracked the back of American workers and damaged their morale. The American way of life was damages along with teh economy, and that theme is portrayed in this image captured by Walker Evans.(New York City 1930)(James Howard)
This photos were taken by Gordon Parks. We was the first African American who worked for Life Magazine. Along with being a photographer he was also a flim maker and a director. He is best remembered for his photo essays in Life Magazine. His photographs had the theme of freedom. He wanted to capture the real life of people and the freedom that they were supposed to have. Most of his work was done in the 1940s. In his pictures you see what the lives of people were really like after the Great Depression. In the first picture the boy looks like he hasn't eaten in days and he is wearing dirty clothing and looks like he is either homeless or lives in a run down house. The next two pictures focus more on African Americans. During the 1940s there was a lot of discrimation going on and these picture show you a glimps into their livess. (Emily Stark)
(Megan Patrick) Russell Lee changed photography by showing the side of life no body really sees out in the public. He likes to show people in their everyday lives being themselves. Lee also didn't care much for taking photos of rich people because it had no real back story. The simple things in life is what really intrigued him.
(Megan Patrick) This photo-also taken by Russell Lee-shows a group of men sitting around in a circle in some sort of a junkyard. It looks like they are either playing poker or eating. Anyways, this is another example of showing the more wholesome things in life. This photo shows that people worked hard. Lee was known for showing photos that tell a story.
(Britny Orr)
The photographer I picked was Lewis Hines. Hines' was part of the WPA program and he basically went around and took pictures of the Child Labor problems during the depression. During the depression children were worked so hard and many of them suffered greatly, and some even died. All three of these photos show the emensley over-worked children. Hines' enjoyed his work and wanted to bring this cause out for the public to see. Even though a lot of people were in deep debt and what not, there is still no need to work a child to death (literally). Hines' not only helped bring out the truth but also somewhat changed photography forever. He photographed things that were true and what people needed to see, not necessarily what they wanted to see.
(Jennifer Gordon)
The photographer I picked was Jack Delano. He was an american photographer for the FSA (Farm Security Administration). He was based in Pennslyvania during the 1930's and 40's. A lot of his pictures were of everyday life on the farm. The pictures for the FSA demonstrated how difficult and exhausting life on the farm seemed to be. He depicted how the times were for various ages and races of people. The last picture farm related but to me it conveys that back then everyone was uniform and followed the norm. His images were real and didnt hide the way life was back then. After viewing his images, I think now he is one of my favorite photographers. I would like to do something like his last photo and show how society controls everyone. He made a difference by providing people with real life images that werent dramatized. (Chris Sadzewicz)
New Orleans, 1935 Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1936 New York, 1938
These photographs were taken by Walker Evans. He was most known for his photography of American Lifestyle. Walker Evans was indeed part of the WPA program. He traveled around the country taking pictures of the american lifestyle, in their own back yards. These photos depict the differences in social classes at the time of the great depression. The rich wore very nice clothing and the middle class wore average, plain clothing. Walker Evans has influenced me to probably shoot black and white and to shoot living subject matter instead of still life.
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography is the act of shooting a photo or series of photos to describe and inform the viewer about a location, cause or other subject. Usually the subject being documented is one that has been unknown to the majority of people. Documentary Photography is unique in that the photographer uses their photographs to tell a story and change the point of view of the viewer through the images. Often documentary photographers were photojournalists who were hired and paid to tell stories with their images. Sometimes written imagery accompanied their work. During the Depression the government hired photographers and artists as part of several government funded programs, which were all part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal plan to stimulate the economy and employ people while building and renewing the country. Some of these plans included the hiring of artists and photographers. The photographerswere hired to document what was happening in the country and also to document what was being done to change and fix things. You can find links to many of the Photographers here.Use this page as a starting point for your research on documentary photography. You can search by creator's (photographer) or by subject matter. It is the Library of Congress American Memory Project.
Choose one of the listed photographers and post 3 images of their work.
Explain what they were known for and how their work informed people on the cause. How did their photography make a difference? Explain whether or not they were associated with the WPA or FSA. Exaplin when and where they did their photos. Explain how their work will influence your own. Make sure that you list the name of the photographer and also your name in parentheses so we know who posted what. Remember not to post over someone else's post!!Erin Sutter
Photographer of Choice WALKER EVANS
Evan's was known for his objective and realistic documentaries. He also didn't work very hard to get the image he wanted.
He often photographed lower class areas of the cities he visited and the cities in poor condition. He wanted to get away from romantic idealism and show the world the way it really was. To do this he photographed everyday street scenes or simple material objects that other photographers would tend to ignore. He documented scenes that made people want to help and fix up the old shops and help the rundown people. He documented the depression. He mainly took his pictures in small towns around the United States. Two of the above pictures are from a small town in Massachusetts. He was involved with the WPA or the Works Progress Administration. Along with Dorthea Lange, Evan and Lange made a series of photographs called the Iconic Farm Photographs. He photographed rural poverty in Southern States. These photographs opened the eyes of the government and the citizens of the United States. His work informed people of how fortunate they were and how there were other people out there suffering who needed their help. I like how he shot things the way they were and not in some fantasy light like most photographers do. He did something unique and thats what I'd like to do, something unique and give people a unique view of reality that they normally ignore.
(Megan Patrick) This photo of a young school boy was taken by Russell Lee. He was known for taking great pictures. His work made people think about how other people in the world looked. For example, in this photo Russell Lee just wanted to show what life was like in the life of a school boy. Most people wouldn't think this is all that interesting, but truly it is.
(Jake Platt) Jack Delano was a photographer hired by the Farm Securities Administration (FSA) and his pictures portrayed the reality of America at the time, which was the Great depression and World War 2 Era. The first picture is of the waiting room at the Union Station in Chicago. The beams of light are enhanced by all of the smoke from the trains that is filling the room and the people are mostly silhouettes, which makes the picture more mysterious. The second photo is of a pennsylvania miner and it's purpose is to show the working conditions of miners. Miners at the time were poor, typically immigrants, had to live in company built little towns, and had a high risk of dying every day, and it shows in this mans face. Last is the picture of some sort of factory or mill with the background of small, dirty houses. This picture screams great depression to me as the ramshackle houses in the background suggest a hooverville type town.
(Sydney) Arthur Rothstein was a photographer during the great depression. He was invited along with other photographers to take pictures of examples of poverty. This group was sponsored by the FSA or Farm Security Administration. Arthur Rothstein was known for taking pictures of the American Agriculture. There are many pictures taken from when he was stationed in northern Alabama. While he was in Alabama he took pictures of houses that were made out of mud for an article that was going to be published. The pictures helped to enhance the article, and allowed people to read and see what life was like in other areas of the country. Arthur's work has influenced me to take pictures from other peoples perspective, and be able to show that they have to deal with how they live.
(Adele) Lewis hine was born in oshkosh, Wi and moved to New york, and around the ellis island area. He was a part of the WPA and took pictures of child labor in new york, also took pictures for a sociological progect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and photographed steel districts. During the great depression he worked for the red cross in south america, then he documented life in the moutains of eastern Tennessee. The first picture is of A young mechanic working on a steam pump, 1920. The second picture is of a little girl named Addie Card and she was a child laborer in a cotton mill in Vt. The third picture is a bunch of children working in a glass mill, blowing glass, very unsafe, in Indiana
Walker Evans was a well=known photographer from the early part of the twentieth century. He is best known for his work on the Farm Security Association, which documented the effect the Great Depression had on rural farmers. He used his large format photography to capture images that were, "literate, authoritative, transcendent". With camera in hand and a cause in his mind, Walker Evans strode out into America's heartland, and made the struggles of the agrarian society evident to the unseeing eyes of urban city-dwellers. Their problems became problems burdening the nation and, with the help of Walker Evans, a solution was found. (James Howard)
Penniless and hungry, Americans in the "bread-basket" states were hit hard by the catastrophic crash of the economy. The price of seed was too much to shoulder, so nothing was sewn into the ground--sadness and despair was sewn into their hearts and souls instead. The lack of food, money and work caused these feelings, and theses feelings are stretched across the face of this young agrarian. Farmers all across the nation became the poster-children for the Farm Security Association, and the cause supported by Walker Evans. (Floyd Burroughs. Hale County, Alabama 1936)(James Howard)
With the death of the economy came the death of the factory. As the factory machinery gathered dust and cobwebs--products of misuse-- the factory workers soon died off. Without the income provided by the factory jobs, the workers slowly starved, shriveled into oblivion. The stony white cross that looms over the dying town mirrors this solemn tale. It's superiority over the landscape shows that death is everywhere, and it's inescapable. The effects of the Great Depression are fully visible in this image, and Walker Evans captured the essence of an era. ("from the cradle to the factory to the grave")(James Howard)
The crashing economy plummeted down from the heights where it dwelled and fell upon the backs of America. As it spiraled downward, cracked the back of American workers and damaged their morale. The American way of life was damages along with teh economy, and that theme is portrayed in this image captured by Walker Evans.(New York City 1930)(James Howard)
This photos were taken by Gordon Parks. We was the first African American who worked for Life Magazine. Along with being a photographer he was also a flim maker and a director. He is best remembered for his photo essays in Life Magazine. His photographs had the theme of freedom. He wanted to capture the real life of people and the freedom that they were supposed to have. Most of his work was done in the 1940s. In his pictures you see what the lives of people were really like after the Great Depression. In the first picture the boy looks like he hasn't eaten in days and he is wearing dirty clothing and looks like he is either homeless or lives in a run down house. The next two pictures focus more on African Americans. During the 1940s there was a lot of discrimation going on and these picture show you a glimps into their livess. (Emily Stark)
(Megan Patrick) Russell Lee changed photography by showing the side of life no body really sees out in the public. He likes to show people in their everyday lives being themselves. Lee also didn't care much for taking photos of rich people because it had no real back story. The simple things in life is what really intrigued him.
(Megan Patrick) This photo-also taken by Russell Lee-shows a group of men sitting around in a circle in some sort of a junkyard. It looks like they are either playing poker or eating. Anyways, this is another example of showing the more wholesome things in life. This photo shows that people worked hard. Lee was known for showing photos that tell a story.
(Britny Orr)
The photographer I picked was Lewis Hines. Hines' was part of the WPA program and he basically went around and took pictures of the Child Labor problems during the depression. During the depression children were worked so hard and many of them suffered greatly, and some even died. All three of these photos show the emensley over-worked children. Hines' enjoyed his work and wanted to bring this cause out for the public to see. Even though a lot of people were in deep debt and what not, there is still no need to work a child to death (literally). Hines' not only helped bring out the truth but also somewhat changed photography forever. He photographed things that were true and what people needed to see, not necessarily what they wanted to see.
(Jennifer Gordon)
The photographer I picked was Jack Delano. He was an american photographer for the FSA (Farm Security Administration). He was based in Pennslyvania during the 1930's and 40's. A lot of his pictures were of everyday life on the farm. The pictures for the FSA demonstrated how difficult and exhausting life on the farm seemed to be. He depicted how the times were for various ages and races of people. The last picture farm related but to me it conveys that back then everyone was uniform and followed the norm. His images were real and didnt hide the way life was back then. After viewing his images, I think now he is one of my favorite photographers. I would like to do something like his last photo and show how society controls everyone. He made a difference by providing people with real life images that werent dramatized.
New Orleans, 1935
Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1936
New York, 1938
These photographs were taken by Walker Evans. He was most known for his photography of American Lifestyle. Walker Evans was indeed part of the WPA program. He traveled around the country taking pictures of the american lifestyle, in their own back yards. These photos depict the differences in social classes at the time of the great depression. The rich wore very nice clothing and the middle class wore average, plain clothing. Walker Evans has influenced me to probably shoot black and white and to shoot living subject matter instead of still life.